Computational and Systems Biology (CaSB)

is a major that trains students to solve basic and applied biological problems by combining math, computing, and a strong base of biological knowledge and concepts. Students learn to approach problems and formulate questions that span the full range of biological systems, from genes to cells to medicine to ecology to evolution. A major goal is to understand whole systems, from cells to organs to individuals to ecosystems, both in terms of their component parts and their emergent behaviors. Such diverse systems can all be studied and understood using cutting-edge modeling, analytical and numerical techniques, computer simulations, statistics, informatics, and data analysis of biological systems. This is accomplished through a highly integrated and inter-disciplinary training of students in the natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science. The major is designed for students with a strong interest in applying math and computational approaches to study questions in the life sciences that range from how cells process information, to which genes influence disease risk or response to medication, to what determines rates of tumor growth, to which factors drive biodiversity. There are currently five designated concentrations: Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, Neurosystems, Biomedical Systems or Computers, and Biosystems.

The Major is ideally suited for students who plan to pursue jobs in industry or to obtain graduate research degrees that involve the study of biological systems and biomedical problems. It is also appropriate preparation for students who plan to pursue professional degrees in medicine, public health, dentistry, business, engineering, and law. Graduates have been admitted to top-ranking graduate schools as well as medical and dental schools. Moreover, graduates have gone on to work for startup companies, consulting companies, and other industry positions in technology, health sciences, and bioengineering. Click here for a list of career placement of our recent alumni.

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Chair’s Message

The current century has been termed the century of biology, and the major advances of this century will only be possible via computational systems biology. The importance of mathematics, computation, and modeling has been an essential part of biology since its origins, whether it was Galileo or DaVinci devising scaling laws for bones and tree branches, or Mendel discovering simple rules to how genes are inherited, or the formalization of evolutionary theory, or the revelation of internal, three-dimensional medical images from computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MRI), or the Human Genome Project. However, the importance of math and computing for biology has never been as pressing as now. Many medical, molecular, genomics, and ecological challenges facing us today will only be solved by combining the modeling of basic and biological processes with computational methods for discerning patterns in big data. These include large-scale, monumental projects to understand the wiring, learning, and illnesses of the brain, to identify genetic influences on disease, to development of better drugs for treating disease, and to mitigate effects of climate change on biological systems. Indeed, it has been said that “mathematics is biology’s next microscope, only better”, meaning that it allows us to see much of the “invisible” parts of the world, opens completely new horizons to explore, shifts our entire perspective on some problems, and makes the impossible become possible.

Our program is designed to train and enable a new generation of computational systems biologists to make diverse contributions through industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and government agencies in ways that help to teach, understand, and solve pressing problems like the ones listed above. At UCLA we can both build on our long history of research and education in these areas (parts of the CaSB program date back several decades) and embrace a vibrant and growing community of faculty and institutes in these areas. Indeed, our program dates back more than three decades and until recently, was led with great vision and passion by Joe DiStefano. As you tour the Faculty pages, you can see the large number of outstanding faculty involved in our program and the range of topics we now include. The strength and pervasiveness of these efforts at UCLA is a testament to the long sustained efforts at UCLA and its fruition and acceleration as we move forward. We hope you will join us!